1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in disposable razor blades and implements for the use thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, many razor manufacturers market disposable razors used by men for shaving facial hair and by women for shaving underarms and legs. Disposable razors are sold in several forms. In one implementation a razor blade is captured in a shaving implement which includes a molded plastic handle and blade holder. The blade itself is entrapped within the blade holder, but with an edge exposed at an angle relative to the plastic handle which is suitable for shaving. The manufacturers of such devices promote the sale of such implements as disposable devices, to be used for several shaves and then discarded.
An alternative shaving device involves a razor blade, or parallel set of blades, entrapped within a plastic cartridge. Again, the blades are disposed with sharp edges exposed at a suitable angle for shaving. The cartridges and blades therein are considered disposable, and are discarded after a suitable number of shaves. The cartridges are releasably mountable in a reusable razor blade handle.
Razor manufacturers today promote the sale of their shaving implements by extolling the superiority of their devices as contrasted with competitive shaving implements in terms of the number of times which blades of their manufacture can be used while still providing a smooth, close shave. Eventually, of course, the edges of all razor blades commercially available become degraded with continued use. The user ultimately discards the cartridge or disposable handle in which razor blades are captured and procures a new blade for further use.
Heretofore, there has been no provision to allow razor users to easily record and compare the number of satisfactory shaves that may be obtained from a particular blade. While sometimes a specific number, for example 10 shaves, are recommended for each razor by the manufacturer, in fact no simple system for easily maintaining a record of the number of satisfactory shaves achieved with a particular razor exists. As a consequence, consumers simply do not know the extent to which their shaving implement has been used. Users, for the most part, simply use a razor blade until the last use is inordinately uncomfortable, the razor having become dull from overuse. Cuts, scrapes and skin irritation frequently result from the use of a razor too long. Sometimes irritations of this type are not readily noticeable during the shaving process, but give discomfort subsequent to shaving.